Programs Available for Women Veteran Entrepreneurs

The report to Congress included U.S. Census data, reflecting the uptick of women veteran entrepreneurship, along with some compelling demographic information about women veterans:

• According to the U.S. Department of Defense, women represent about 15 percent of active duty military, 18.8 percent of the Reserve and Guard, and 20 percent of recruits.  Nearly 280,000 women have served post-9/11 in Afghanistan and Iraq.

• The total women veteran population in the U.S. and its territories is 2,035,213.

• As of 2012, there are 383,302 veteran women-owned businesses in the U.S.  This reflects an increase from 2007 of nearly 300 percent, or an additional 286,188 businesses.

• In 2007, 4 percent of U.S. businesses were women-owned.  By 2012, it increased to 15.2 percent.

• In 2012, veteran women-owned businesses with no employees generated a total of $17.9 billion in receipts (businesses with employees generated a total of $10.9 billion).

Meanwhile, in 2015 SBA’s 7(a) and 504 loan programs provided 239 loans to veteran women-owned firms totaling $87 million, representing a significant increase over the last five years.

The SBA’s Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) and Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs) are the primary resource partners for women veterans looking to start and/or grow their businesses as well as SBA’s Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and SCORE. The lifeline of SBA assistance supporting women’s veteran entrepreneurship begins with the broad network of resources:

Women’s Business Centers (WBC) - Through the management and technical assistance provided by the WBCs, entrepreneurs, especially women who are economically or socially disadvantaged, are offered comprehensive training and counseling on a vast array of topics in many languages to help them start and grow their businesses. Of the more than 100 WBCs, 20 of the centers specifically target the women veteran demographic.
Veterans Business Outreach Centers (VBOC) –The SBA has 14 organizations participating in this cooperative agreement and serving as Veterans Business Outreach Centers nationwide. The VBOC program provides entrepreneurial development services such as business training, counseling, mentoring, and referrals for eligible veterans owning or considering starting a small business.

Boots to Business (B2B) –Boots to Business, SBA’s entrepreneurial training program for transitioning service members, has reached over 30,000 participants since the program began in 2013. In 2015, 14,419 transitioning service members and spouses benefited from the two-day Introduction to Entrepreneurship course.

Boots to Business| Reboot – In November 2015, SBA launched Boots to Business| Reboot to reach a broader population of veterans. The reboot was introduced in cities nationwide with the support of SBA District Offices and served all eras of veterans. B2B| Reboot is projected to serve 3,000 veterans at 150 community courses in the coming year.

Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-Wise) –A three-phase program, V-WISE is offered three times per year across the nation to approximately 200 participants per session. The program includes a growth track for women veterans and women military spouses already in business as well as start-up training for new entrepreneurs.

Veterans Institute for Procurement (VIP) – VIP is designed for veteran-owned businesses to increase their ability to win government contracts by establishing best business practices. VIP includes a training program consisting of a three-day certification course taught by professional service experts, government officials, and agency representatives. Since the program began in 2009, VIP has graduated 546 veteran-owned businesses from 37 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam.

Call us today if you're a woman and/or veteran interested in government contracting -- or a woman and/or veteran contractor who wants help succeeding as a government contractor.

We can walk you through the steps you must take to qualify to contract with the government, help you complete your System for Award Management (SAM) Registration, train you on submitting contract-winning bids, and help you put in place marketing plans that will get information about you and your business in front of top procurement officers in your industry. 

To speak with a Contracting Specialist, Call: (866) 216-5343